Social influence Flashcards
(32 cards)
What are the three types of conformity? A:
Compliance – Publicly conforming while privately disagreeing.
Identification – Conforming both publicly and privately to identify with a group, but the change may be temporary.
Internalisation – Deep, permanent conformity where beliefs are genuinely accepted.
What is Informational Social Influence (ISI)? A:
ISI occurs when individuals conform because they believe others possess more accurate information, especially in ambiguous situations, leading to internalisation.
What is Normative Social Influence
NSI happens when individuals conform to be accepted or liked by a group, often resulting in compliance without internal belief change.
Describe Asch’s (1951) study on conformity.
Asch investigated conformity by asking participants to match line lengths in the presence of confederates who gave incorrect answers. Findings showed a significant rate of conformity to incorrect answers due to NSI.
What factors did Asch find affect conformity?
Group Size – Conformity increases with group size up to a point.
Unanimity – The presence of a dissenting confederate reduces conformity.
Task Difficulty – Higher difficulty leads to increased conformity due to ISI.
What is obedience?
Obedience is following a direct order from an authority figure, often involving compliance with instructions that may conflict with personal beliefs.
Outline Milgram’s (1963) obedience study
Milgram examined obedience by instructing participants to administer electric shocks to a learner. Results showed a high level of obedience to authority figures, with many participants delivering the maximum voltage despite apparent distress.
What factors influence obedience according to Milgram?
Proximity – Closer proximity to the victim decreases obedience.
Location – Prestigious settings increase obedience levels.
Uniform – Authority figures in uniform elicit higher obedience.
Define the Agentic State.
The agentic state is a psychological condition where individuals see themselves as agents executing another’s wishes, thereby absolving themselves of personal responsibility for their actions.
What is the Authoritarian Personality?
A personality type characterized by strict adherence to conventional values and submission to authority figures, often measured by the F-scale, and linked to higher obedience levels.
How can social support aid resistance to social influence?
The presence of dissenting peers can bolster an individual’s confidence to resist conformity and obedience by reducing the pressure to conform or obey.
What is Locus of Control?
Locus of control refers to an individual’s perception of personal control over events. Those with an internal locus believe they control their outcomes, while those with an external locus attribute outcomes to external factors. An internal locus is associated with greater resistance to social influence.
How does minority influence lead to social change?
Minority influence can initiate social change through consistency, commitment, and flexibility, leading the majority to reconsider and potentially adopt the minority viewpoint over time.
: What role does the snowball effect play in social change?
The snowball effect describes how a minority viewpoint gains momentum as more individuals adopt it, eventually leading to widespread societal change.
What is the augmentation principle in the context of minority influence?
The augmentation principle suggests that if a minority demonstrates commitment to their cause, especially through personal sacrifice, they are taken more seriously by others, enhancing their influence.
What is a limitation of Asch’s conformity study?
: Low Temporal Validity – Perrin & Spencer (1980) found much lower conformity in UK engineering students, suggesting Asch’s results were influenced by the 1950s American culture (McCarthyism).
What is a major ethical issue with Milgram’s obedience study?
Deception & Psychological Harm – Participants believed they were administering real shocks, leading to high levels of stress. However, Milgram debriefed participants and argued the findings justified the distress.
How does research support the role of the authoritarian personality in obedience?
Elms & Milgram (1966) – Found that participants who obeyed to 450V in Milgram’s study scored higher on the F-scale, supporting the idea that obedience is linked to personality traits.
What research supports the role of social support in resisting conformity?
Allen & Levine (1971) – Conformity decreased when there was a dissenter in an Asch-type study, even when the dissenter had poor eyesight (showing social support reduces pressure to conform).
: What is a limitation of research into the authoritarian personality?
Situational Factors Matter More – Milgram found obedience varied based on proximity, location, and uniform, suggesting social context is more important than personality alone.
How does research support the role of consistency in minority influence?
Moscovici et al. (1969) – Found that a consistent minority (saying slides were green instead of blue) influenced the majority more than an inconsistent minority.
What research supports the link between locus of control and resistance to obedience?
Holland (1967) – Found that 37% of internals refused to go to 450V in Milgram’s study, compared to 23% of externals, supporting the idea that internals are more resistant to obedience.
What was the aim of Zimbardo’s (1973) Stanford Prison Experiment?
To investigate how people conform to social roles in a simulated prison environment.
What were the findings of Zimbardo’s study?
Guards became abusive and harsh towards prisoners.
Prisoners became passive & withdrawn.
The study was stopped after 6 days instead of 14 due to ethical concerns.
